Waiting for Mom to return from the hospital with the new baby can be one of the longest waits ever.

Dawn Babb Prochovnic is an early literacy consultant and the award-winning author of over 20 books for young readers. She has devoted her life’s work to initiatives that support literacy and the literary arts including early literacy enrichment programs, school and library author visits, creative writing workshops, and her educational blog. Prochovnic holds a master’s degree in organizational communication and lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, two kids, one cat, and a feisty dog. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Substack, Instagram, or Facebook.

MAMA’S HOME (AND BABY TOO!) is a board book perfect for expecting families. It has two children who are waiting so sweetly for Mom to come home from the hospital with the newest sibling. They prepare for her while they wait and are delightfully reunited when the time comes. The adorable illustrations add to the book’s appeal and tug at the heartstrings.

Welcome Dawn!

Me: Can you tell us a little bit about your writing journey? How has that brought you to this book?

Dawn: First of all, thanks so much for having me, Jena. I’m so happy to be here. My first 16 picture books were in the Story Time with Signs & Rhymes series, created to align with the content of my early literacy workshops and published via a collaboration with Abdo Publishing Group. Next came a contribution to an anthology that later opened the door for three more picture books with the team that handled the anthology. Mama’s Home (and Baby Too!) is my 20th book (21st if you count the anthology), but it’s my debut board book. The initial idea for this story came to me as I watched my young son blissfully engage in imaginative play at our local children’s museum. For context, that same child graduated from college a couple of years ago!

Me: This board book is about waiting for Mom to come home with a new baby and the joy to be had once she’s there.  What gave you the idea?

Dawn: The first words I put down onto the page for this story were a sweet little poem about child-centered activities that collectively make for a joyful, play-filled childhood.

I quickly discovered that my beloved poem would need a stronger hook than sweetness in order to become a book.

I tried out MANY different approaches, including structuring it as a novelty book that incorporated American Sign Language to align with my early literacy programs and incorporating different settings and plots such as spending time with a beloved grandparent and cherishing family time on the weekends. I eventually landed on a theme that resonated for me and a particular publisher (Familius) at just the right time: the excitement and delight of sharing simple, joyful activities with a parent who returns home after being away for an extended period of time.

In the version I originally submitted to Familius, Mama’s specific whereabouts was undefined. I thought keeping things more open-ended might help the book appeal to a wider audience (i.e., it could be due to business travel, military service, an overseas adoption, a pregnancy involving bed rest, a women’s retreat, a medical procedure, etc.). The team at Familius helped me understand that it’s actually better for a story to be more specific, versus more general, so it’s clear where it fits into the marketplace. After their feedback, the plot shifted to capturing the experience of welcoming a new sibling into the family and the enduring bond between parent and child, set to the backdrop of joyful family life and childhood play. Now of course, the book could still be relevant for a situation when a mama is away for a different reason, such as business travel or a women’s retreat, but it will be shelved and marketed as a new sibling book.

Me: I love how the kids are marking time and what they do while they wait; let alone what they do with Mom when she’s finally home. These are such kid friendly choices! How many revisions did it take to get your manuscript to this final state? Did it go through many revisions or was this a gift of the Muse (i.e., good from the first draft)?

Dawn: Thanks for the kind words, Jena! I’m definitely not one of those writers who gets gifts of the Muse resulting in “good from the first draft” drafts. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve never written anything that was good from the first draft (including responses to these questions, lol!). Each of my books have had long and winding paths to publication, but this particular one definitely takes the cake. It’s a 95-word story that took over 20 years to become a book! I do not have an accurate revision count, but suffice it say there were many revisions, and I have dozens and dozens (and dozens!) of story scenarios stored away in old drafts that did not make it into the final book. (Truth be told, I still love many of them, but only so many scenarios could be included.)

Me: Can you talk a little bit about how your book came to be published at Familius? Did you submit your manuscript many places or were they your first yes? Or did it somehow catch their eye in some other way?

Dawn: Connecting with Familius was one of those situations of having the right story at the right place at the right time. I had actually hosted a couple of different Familius authors on my blog over the years (Kathy MacMillan, who also writes books that incorporate American Sign Language and Tracy Gold, who I was introduced to through Kathy). Both of them spoke so highly of their experience working with Familius. I researched and considered their list alongside my ready works, and felt like Mama’s Home (the pre-sibling, vague whereabouts of Mama version) was a good fit. I completed the detailed submission proposal process that I found on their website, and heard back with interest, but they wondered if I might be open to a more specific reason for Mama being away—the arrival of a new sibling—so I got back to work.

Me: The illustrations by Adele Dafflon are pitch perfect. There is so much beautiful color and I love how Mom’s hair is always a mess. Any favorite illustrations? Any illustration surprises?

Dawn: I couldn’t agree more. I ADORE Adèle Dafflon’s illustrations. Every single one of them. I think my very favorite is the image that’s on the front cover (and the similar, related image in the interior of the book). Those images reflect for me the abundant love between mother and child—and that Mama’s heart has room for everyone. I sincerely get choked up nearly every time I look at the cover and related interior image and think about what they convey and how they relate to my own experience as a mom—and as a child.

I don’t recall any surprises. I personally think the experience of seeing how an illustrator interprets my words is one of the most cosmic parts of being a picture book author. I was fortunate to have an opportunity to review and make comments during each stage of the illustration process (the character studies, thumbnails, rough sketches, color art, and finals, etc.), so I felt very involved and informed along the way.

I do think it’s funny that you specifically mentioned Mama’s messy hair. In the early sketches, Mama’s hair was neatly coifed AND she had on some earrings. I actually loved that version of Mama. I recall commenting that I thought it was great fun that she had it so together that she could muster the strength to comb her hair and put on some earrings. The publishing team had a different take on it and made the decision to ask Adèle to muss up Mama’s hair and lose the earrings to make Mama more realistic, which I admit was the right call.

Me: What is one thing that surprised you in writing this story?

Dawn: I think what surprised me is how much I loved this little story right from the start—enough to keep pecking away at it over time. That first little poem scribbled on a scrap of paper from my pocket was such a humble beginning. Although the story transformed in many ways along the path to publication, the initial inspiration—the delight of a joyful, play-filled childhood—still rings true. I’m so happy to see it finally become a book—and such a beautiful one, at that.

Me: Any advice for other new picture book writers?

Dawn: I think my top advice would be to hold onto the stories you love and keep working at them, but I would couple that with the suggestion to find ways to let go of the details that align with the real-life inspiration(s) that get in the way of the fictional story that wants to be told. One of the things I do for each project I work on to help free me to try new things is to create a document called “Darlings.” I use that document as a “holding spot” for parts of the story I need to cut while I’m experimenting with new ideas and approaches. This technique helps me let go of beloved text to make room for new and improved text, because I can rest assured that I can always go back and grab the old words and put them back into my story if I want  (spoiler alert: I rarely if ever retrieve those earlier words, but it’s much easier for me to cut them if I know they are just at the tips of my fingers should I change my mind). Lastly, I would say keep reading blogs like yours, Jena, where published authors and illustrators share their experience and perspective. It’s a great way to learn about the creative process and gain inspiration to keep at it!

Thanks so much for having me to your blog. It’s such a fabulous resource for book creators, and I’m so happy for the opportunity to share my experience with others.

Aww! Thank you! I love that. And thank you so much for stopping by my blog today Dawn!

Dear readers, this book publishes tomorrow! It’s a story about waiting, new siblings, and family love. Trust me when I say, you won’t want to miss it!